Widening unrest at college campuses across the country
amid the Israel-Hamas war.
More than 150 people arrested protesting at NYU overnight.
And security heightening at Columbia.
Stephanie Ramos is there and joins us live right now.
Good morning to you, Stephanie.
Robin, good morning.
It is the first day of Passover, a major Jewish holiday.
And there is escalating tension here on campus
at Columbia University among Jewish students,
ramping up pressure on the school's president to break
up these demonstrations.
[WHISTLE TWEETING]
Overnight, tensions boiling over--
[CHANTING]
--as pro-Palestinian protests spread to more college campuses.
POLICE: You have been warned by New York University
to leave the area.
STEPHANIE RAMOS: Police in riot gear taking down this encampment
at New York University, arresting more than 150 people
including students and faculty.
PROTESTER: Shame on you!
STEPHANIE RAMOS: The protesters engaging
in a standoff with authorities after being
ordered to vacate the venue.
The campus is on edge as mobilizations
against the conflict persist at some
of the nation's leading colleges and universities.
At Yale, at least 47 students were arrested during a protest.
At the University of Michigan, a crowd
supported dozens of student protesters
who set up tents in the middle of campus.
STUDENTS: Cop, go home!
STEPHANIE RAMOS: In California, these students
barricaded themselves in a building at California Polytech.
And in Boston, students from MIT, Tufts, and Emerson
also set up pro-Palestinian encampments.
Security heightened at Columbia University
where student demonstrators pitched
tents at the center of campus.
The encampments still in place this morning.
Classes there going virtual Monday.
University president Minouche Shafik authorized the NYPD
to make arrests last week.
MIKE GERBER: They informed us that they had
students who were trespassing.
They asked us to come on to campus to take action.
And we did.
STEPHANIE RAMOS: Demonstrators demanding
institutions divest from companies with ties to Israel.
Columbia PhD student Linnea Norton
tells us she was one of the arrested
and just wants her voice to be heard.
We were all just sitting cross-legged
together in a circle.
And then the NYPD came in and arrested us one by one,
immediately zip-tied us with our hands behind our backs.
PROTESTERS: Shame on you!
STEPHANIE RAMOS: Tensions have been mounting
at universities since the Israel-Hamas
conflict began last October.
Many Jewish students telling us they don't feel safe on campus.
How has this hit you, the demonstrations
over the last couple of days?
It's not only like mentally exhausting.
I found this past few days, it's been
like physically affecting me.
And I got told that the Israeli flag is a Nazi flag.
STEPHANIE RAMOS: New York Governor Kathy
Hochul calling for dialogue.
People need to find their humanity,
have the conversations.
Talk to each other.
Columbia University announcing they
are now moving to hybrid learning,
allowing students to decide whether they want to attend
class in person or online.
Colombia's president now facing growing calls
for her resignation from influential donors and alumni,
like the New England Patriots' owner Robert Kraft
who says he is now reconsidering his support for the university.
Robin.
All right, Stephanie, we appreciate your reporting.
And all of this, we know, is coming
with college commitment day for high school seniors
just over a week away.